Expert discusses the NMIBC trials landscape

In a recent interview with Urology Times^®, Joshua J. Meeks, MD, PhD, shared his thoughts on some of the notable ongoing trials in the non–muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) space and what urologists should be on the look-out for.

“For a NMIBC, all you have to do is look forward to the metastatic setting. Right now, it's actually becoming a little bit of a challenge for us, meaning that there are patients that are considered metastatic, who would not be surgical candidates, and because of the advances in systemic therapy, especially with ADCs [antibody drug conjugates], those now become potential patients that we're starting to see in our clinic,” said Meeks, the Edward M. Schaeffer, MD, PhD Professor of Urology and associate professor of urology, biochemistry, and molecular genetics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois.

He added, “If you look at that and [ask], what's coming? You have 2 more trials that involve checkpoint plus chemotherapy. That’s a key question. Then I think that the clear ones are ADC plus checkpoint that are coming very shortly.”

In the interview, Meeks also commented on the sheer number of trials related to bladder cancer that are ongoing.

“There are so many trials coming out in the next 12 to 24 months that it wouldn't surprise me if we have a lot more options for our patients. It’s a very good time to be taking care of patients with bladder cancer, because I think our chances, more and more, are getting to cure as an expectation.”